The Almighty Afterthought

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of YHWH that you have spoken is good," for he thought: They feared YHWH, but they also worshiped their own gods according to the custom of the nations from where they had been deported. - 2 Kings 17:33

When considering the gradual fall of ancient Israel (that eventually led to their destruction), I wonder, "What exactly was the 'key' to their failure?"

Perhaps, it was compromise. In their desire to please everyone, to fit in with culture, they forgot to please God. Though they claimed to worship the Lord, their lifestyles indicated a continued and consistent need to serve gods of their own making.

We have many "gods" in America today. For example, we worship (give glory and honor to) sport, celebrity, and our own recreation. While God may be a "part" of our lives, He does not seem to be "Life" itself. Rather, He appears to have become something we "do," not the very essence or meaning of the lives we lead. He lives, but perhaps not in us nor through us.

We need not wonder why cultures abandon basic morality and truth when many churches and so-called "Christians" do the same. God has simply become the "Almighty Afterthought."

I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Spirit; Christianity without Christ; forgiveness without repentance; salvation without regeneration; politics without God; and Heaven without Hell. - William Booth